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California Healthline Original Stories
Newsom: To Fix Homelessness, California Must Fix Mental Health
California Gov. Gavin Newsom dedicated nearly all of his State of the State address Wednesday to homelessness. To fix that problem, he said, the state must address another one: mental health care. (Rachel Bluth, )
Good morning! Tensions boiled over at the latest Democratic debate, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren dismissing rivals’ health care plans as paper-thin and unrealistic. Read more on that below, but first here are your top California health stories for the day.
'Let's Call It What It Is, A Disgrace': Gov. Newsom Devotes State Of State To Homeless Crisis: Gov. Gavin Newsom vowed to marshal the full force of his administration to alleviate California’s worsening homelessness crisis, a humanitarian imperative for the state and political necessity for a governor whose ambitious progressive agenda could be eclipsed if he fails to take effective action. Delivering his annual State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature on Wednesday, Newsom acknowledged that Californians have “lost patience” with state political leaders who largely neglected a human tragedy that has existed in plain sight for years, if not decades. “Let’s call it what it is,” he said. “It’s a disgrace that the richest state, in the richest nation — succeeding across so many sectors — is falling so far behind to properly house, heal and humanely treat so many of its own people.”
In his call to action, Newsom zeroed in on the need to treat serious mental illnesses and substance use disorders among people who are chronically homeless. Newsom, in calling for changes to the state’s involuntary treatment laws, described the importance of people “being capable of accepting help, to get off the streets and into treatment in the first place.” But changing the law — especially the definition of “grave disability” — is highly controversial, and has been for a long time.
“What’s the difference between that and a county jail?” said Sen. Jim Beall, a San Jose Democrat who has worked extensively on mental health legislation. He said he would be looking to make sure any proposal is oriented toward therapy and family involvement.
Read more on Newsom’s address from Phil Willon and Taryn Luna of the Los Angeles Times; Jocelyn Wiener of CalMatters; Alexei Koseff of the San Francisco Chronicle; Robert Garrova of the LAist; and Sophia Bollag and Hannah Wiley of the Sacramento Bee.
In related news from Capital Public Radio: After A Year, Where Does Gov. Gavin Newsom Stand On His Key Promises For California?
Below, check out the full round-up of California Healthline original stories, state coverage and the best of the rest of the national news for the day.
More News From Across The State
Fresno Bee:
Flu Deaths Skyrocket To 328 In California, 14,000 In U.S.
While Americans have been transfixed by concerns about the potential spread of new coronavirus in the United States, a growing number of U.S. citizens have been dying as a result of the seasonal influenza epidemic. Public health officials announced Jan. 21 that the first confirmed case of COVID-19 arrived in the U.S. Since then, 14 other cases have been reported. During that same time period, more than 100 people have died of the flu in California. (Caraccio, 2/20)
KPBS:
Total Number Of Flu Deaths Reaches 63 In San Diego County
A half-dozen influenza-related deaths were confirmed last week in San Diego County, bringing the number of fatalities so far this flu season to 63, compared to 30 at this time last year, the Health and Human Services Agency reported Wednesday. The ages of the patients ranged from 55 to 84, and all had underlying medical conditions, according to the HHSA. (2/19)
Capital Public Radio:
California Is Providing Funds To San Joaquin Valley To Target Air Pollution
Some big changes are happening in the San Joaquin Valley to clean up the air, with South Central Fresno and Shafter—north of Bakersfield—targeted first. Often, impoverished communities suffer the most from air pollution, so the state is providing funds to change that. Special air monitoring networks are being put in place, trees and shrubs are being planted next to highways to improve air quality, and zero-emission vehicles are replacing older school buses. Jessica Olsen with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is partnering with the state to provide money to cut emissions. (Ibarra, 2/19)
CalMatters:
How Is This Poor, Rural District Keeping Kids In School?
At a time when rural schools all over California struggle to keep students in school, a three-year-old experiment in the southern Fresno County community of Parlier is showing some interesting results. And, officials say, chronic absenteeism isn’t the only problem the Parlier experiment may eventually solve. Like many Central Valley communities, Parlier doesn’t have enough doctors for its residents. (Tobias, 2/19)
Los Angeles Times:
San Diego County Supervisors Affirm Coronavirus-Driven Emergency Declaration
As the number of people under self-supervised home quarantine across Southern California continued to grow, and the federal quarantine at Miramar air base neared an end, San Diego County supervisors Wednesday unanimously approved a local emergency declaration, shifting gears in a public health response that experts say may grind on for months. A few hours after the board’s vote, an extra bit of positive news appeared as UC San Diego Health announced that one of the two COVID-19 patients it has cared for since last week has been discharged home after several subsequent negative tests proved the person is no longer infected. (Sisson, 2/19)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Marin County Couple Endures 2-Week Quarantine On Coronavirus-Stricken Diamond Princess Ship
A Marin County couple finally returned to the U.S. early this week after nearly two weeks in quarantine on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which had about 60 American passengers aboard who tested positive for the coronavirus, docked off the coast of Yokohama, Japan. Rick and Aldeana Saber were flown Monday to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, still unable to head home to Novato for two more weeks while being observed for potential virus symptoms. (Comeau-Kerege, 2/19)
NPR:
Best Treatments For New Coronavirus Now An Urgent Target For Biotech Labs
Viral infections can be very hard to treat. Just ask anyone who has a bad case of the flu. But that's not deterring research groups around the world from looking for an effective therapy against the new coronavirus, although they know it won't be easy. "Every virus is sort of like a dysfunctional family," says Dr. Mark Denison, a virologist at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. "They're dysfunctional in their own unique ways." (Palca, 2/19)
The Associated Press:
Can AI Flag Disease Outbreaks Faster Than Humans? Not Quite
Did an artificial-intelligence system beat human doctors in warning the world of a severe coronavirus outbreak in China? In a narrow sense, yes. But what the humans lacked in sheer speed, they more than made up in finesse. Early warnings of disease outbreaks can help people and governments save lives. In the final days of 2019, an AI system in Boston sent out the first global alert about a new viral outbreak in China. (2/20)
The Associated Press:
China's New Virus Cases, Deaths Rise But Increase Is Lower
New virus cases in China rose by just 394 from the previous day, with a rise in the death toll of 114, the government said Thursday, as health inspectors went door-to-door to find every infected person in the worst-hit city. Mainland China has now reported 2,118 deaths and 74,576 total cases. While the overall spread of the virus has been slowing, the situation remains severe in Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, where the new coronavirus was first detected in December. More than 80% of the country's cases are in Hubei and 95% of the deaths, according to data from China's National Health Commission. (2/19)
Reuters:
China Lab Says Conspiracy Theories Hurting Efforts To Curb Virus
An outbreak of disinformation in China and elsewhere has hurt global efforts to combat the new coronavirus, said a specialist infectious disease lab located at the epicenter of the epidemic -- and at the heart of a number of conspiracy theories. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the state-backed Wuhan Institute of Virology said "internet rumors" had "received close attention from all walks of life" and "caused great harm to our research staff on the front line of scientific research." (2/20)
LA Daily News:
San Pedro, Wilmington Temporary Homeless Shelters Begin Construction
It took longer than anticipated, but on Wednesday, Feb. 19, Los Angeles officials gathered for back-to-back groundbreakings for two temporary homeless shelters going up in San Pedro and Wilmington. The shelters — at 515 N. Beacon St., in San Pedro, and 828 N. Eubank Ave., in Wilmington — will each house about 100 people in structures that will also offer toilets, showers, and washers and dryers. (Littlejohn, 2/19)
Reuters:
Exclusive: SmileDirectClub’s Top Dentist Risks Losing License In California Crackdown
The top dentist and public face of SmileDirectClub is at risk of losing his California license following a two-year state dental board investigation, records reviewed by Reuters show. The California disciplinary process underway against dentist Jeffrey A. Sulitzer, SmileDirectClub’s chief clinical officer, is the latest threat facing the high-flying tele-dentistry firm, which promises to straighten Americans’ teeth without a visit to an orthodontist’s office for costly treatment. (2/19)
Los Angeles Times:
Legal Marijuana Use Still Costs People Jobs. A New California Bill Takes On The Issue
California voters legalized pot in 2016. But for many seeking jobs in state government, cannabis use has become an obstacle to getting hired. Now, a spike in the number of job applicants disqualified by state agencies after failing tests for marijuana use has spawned calls for new legislation and debate over whether employment rules should be relaxed given more widespread acceptance of the drug. (McGreevy, 2/19)
LA Daily News:
Arleta High School Receives False Bomb, Shooting Threats During Visit By Rep. Tony Cardenas
A 14-year-old boy was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of calling in shooting and bombing threats to Arleta High School shortly after Congressman Tony Cardenas spoke to students there and was still in the campus auditorium. Both threats were fake, police said. LAPD and Los Angeles School Police Department officers swarmed the campus at around 9:30 a.m., shortly after the pair of phoned-in threats were reported not long after Cardenas made his speech. (Plachta and Cain, 2/19)
The Associated Press:
Debate Night Brawl: Bloomberg, Sanders Attacked By Rivals
From the opening bell, Democrats savaged New York billionaire Mike Bloomberg and raised pointed questions about Bernie Sanders' take-no-prisoners politics during a contentious debate Wednesday night that threatened to further muddy the party's urgent quest to defeat President Donald Trump. Bloomberg, the former New York mayor who was once a Republican, was forced to defend his record and past comments related to race, gender and his personal wealth in an occasionally rocky debate stage debut. Sanders, meanwhile, tried to beat back pointed questions about his embrace of democratic socialism and his health following a heart attack last year. (2/20)
The New York Times:
6 Takeaways From The Democratic Debate In Nevada
After eight debates that had sparks of conflict but were relatively cordial, Wednesday night brought two hours of nonstop political battle. Every candidate got attacked. Senator Elizabeth Warren sometimes attacked almost everyone in a single breath. Former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg found himself facing incoming fire within the debate’s first seconds and looked very much like the out-of-practice politician he was before his tardy entry to the presidential campaign in November. (Goldmacher and Epstein, 2/20)
The Washington Post:
A Guide To The Most Biting Brawls Of The Contentious Las Vegas Presidential Debate
After disappointing showings in Iowa and New Hampshire and stagnant poll numbers, Warren came to fight. She has been trying to carve out a space for herself as the unity candidate, someone who can bridge Sanders’s Medicare-for-all plan with moderates who think it’s too radical. But that’s led to some confusion from voters about where she stands. So on Wednesday, she tried to differentiate herself by punching at almost every candidate on the stage for their health-care plans, which she labeled ineffective (Buttigieg: “paper-thin version of a plan”) or too short (Klobuchar: It can “fit on a Post-it Note”). Most notably, on health care, she said Sanders was not being a team player or realistic — echoing a thematic attack from Buttigieg. “His campaign relentlessly attacks everyone who asks a question or tries to fill in details about how to actually make this work,” Warren said of Sanders. “And then his own advisers say that probably won’t happen anyway.” (Phillips, 2/20)
The Associated Press Fact Check:
Dems' Debate Flubs; Trump Untruths At Rally
ELIZABETH WARREN: Buttigieg's health care plan is "a thin version of a plan." PETE BUTTIGIEG: His own proposal "is the plan that solves the problem." THE FACTS: Warren, a Massachusetts senator, is quick to dismiss a plan that would cover virtually all U.S. citizens and legal residents. An analysis of health care overhaul plans by the Urban Institute and the Commonwealth Fund found that an approach like the one advocated by Buttigieg, a former South Bend, Indiana, mayor, would reduce the number of uninsured people from 32 million to below 7 million, mainly people without legal permission to be in the country. (2/19)
The Wall Street Journal:
Democratic Debate In Nevada: The Moments That Mattered
Buttigieg and Sanders battle over curbing the online behavior of supporters. “I think you have to accept some responsibility.” —Pete Buttigieg. Why this matters: Mr. Sanders defended the online activity of his supporters, some of whom are referred to as Bernie Bros, after leaders of the Culinary Union said they had been attacked from some of the senator’s advocates online and by phone. Mr. Sanders said of his supporters that “99.9% of them are decent human beings,” but if any of them “make ugly remarks” or “attack trade union leaders, I disown those people.” Mr. Buttigieg suggested that Mr. Sanders hadn’t done enough to tamp down the actions of his own supporters, and challenged the senator to ask himself: “Why did this pattern arise? Why is it especially the case among your supporters?” (Thomas, 2/19)
Los Angeles Times:
Bernie Sanders Faces Questions Over Supporters' Online Behavior
Women in the leadership of a Nevada union that opposes his healthcare agenda were swarmed last week with vulgar and threatening emails, phone calls and Twitter posts. In the days following, Buttigieg, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Michael R. Bloomberg all questioned Sanders’ commitment to curbing the provocations. (Finnegan, 2/19)
Politico:
Bloomberg Takes A Beating, Sanders Defends Socialism In Fiery Debate
“Let's talk about democratic socialism," Sanders said, adding: "We are living in many ways in a socialist society right now. The problem is, as Dr. Martin Luther King reminded us, 'We have socialism for the very rich, rugged individualism for the poor.” Applause rang out. “When Donald Trump gets $800 million in tax breaks and subsidies to build luxury condominiums, that's socialism for the rich,” Sanders said. “We have to subsidize Walmart’s workers on Medicaid and food stamps because the wealthiest family in America pays starvation wages. That's socialism for the rich. I believe in Democratic socialism for working people. Not billionaires. Health care for all. Educational opportunity for all.” (Caputo, McCaskill and Naranjo, 2/19)
The New York Times:
Fact-Checking The Las Vegas Democratic Debate
Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. claimed undue credit for being the “first” candidate to introduce a public option. This is exaggerated. Four candidates — Mr. Biden, Senator Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., and Mr. Bloomberg — support a public option, which anyone can buy into but retains private insurance. The concept has been around for many years. (2/19)
The Washington Post:
Fact-Checking The Ninth Democratic Debate
“You know that from the moment from the moment we passed that signature legislation, Mike called it a disgrace.”— Biden. Biden gets this mostly right, but some context is required. In a speech in 2010, after the Affordable Care Act was passed, Bloomberg gave a speech at Dartmouth College. “We passed a health care bill that does absolutely nothing to fix the big health-care problems in this country. It is just a disgrace,” he said, according to a report by CNN. “The president, in all fairness, started out by pointing out what the big problems were, but then turned it over to Congress, which didn’t pay any attention to any of those big problems and just created another program that’s going to cost a lot of money.” He went on to say: “It’s really sad because they say they’ve insured or provided coverage for another 45 million people." (Kessler, Rizzo and Cahlan, 2/19)